The New York Stock Exchange building, where stocks rose after a strong employment report on Thursday and the Dow broke though the 17,000-point barrier.

Dow Closes Above 17,000-Point Barrier For First Time

The Dow closed above the 17,000-point barrier for the first time on Thursday after the government said the unemployment rate dropped to a near six-year low and the economy created many more jobs than expected. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended unofficially 92 points ahead at 17,068.26, the S&P 500 rose 10 points and the Nasdaq added 28 points. The Labor Department reported that job growth sped up in June as the economy created a much-higher-than expected 288,000 jobs and the jobless rate dropped to near a six-year low of 6.1 percent. The New York Stock Exchange closed early ahead of the long weekend holiday.